Improvement in carriages for clay retorts



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. D. CLIFF.

CARRIAGES FOR CLAY RETORT S.

Patented Aug. 8,1876

w|TNEssEs NJEERS4 PHDTO-LITHDGHAPIIER WASHINGTON. D C

2 Sheets-Sheet Z. W. D. CLIFF.

CARRIAGES FOR CLAY RETORTS.

No. I Ilqi ted Avug.8, 1876.

PETERS, PNOTOHJTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFIGE.

WILLIAM" CLIFF, OF `VVORTLEY NEAR LEEDS, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARRIAGES FCR CLAY RETORTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 180,845, dated August8, 1876; application iiled May 26, 1876.

To all whom it fmay'concem:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM 'Dnwnmsrr GLIFF, of Wortley near Leeds, inthe county of York, England, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Carriages for Receiving Clay Retorts and other similar heavy articlesas they are made, and for carrying them away and depositing them whererequired, which 'improvement is fully set forth in the followingspecication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Theinvention consists in so constructing the carriage that the topthereof, which is properly supported and guided, is capable of beingraised and lowered at pleasure. This may-be done in various waysforinstance, by arrangements of worms and worm-wheels, racks and pinions,screws, Wheels and levers, by hydraulic pressure, or by the pressure ofsteam or compressed air, in combination with cylinders and pistons, orby eccentrics, cams, or cranks mounted or formed on shafts carried bythe framing of the carriage, or on the axles of the carrying-wheels, inwhich latter case the wheels would be arranged to run loosely on. theiraxles.

The present invention is specially adapted for use in combination withmy improvements in machinery for making clay retorts, and other similarheavy articles made from clay, forming the subject of former LettersPatent granted to me dated September 15, 1874.

The drawings hereunto annexed represent the mode of construction Iprefer to employ.

Figure lis a longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a cross-section. Fig. 3 isa side elevation. Fig. 4 is a plan 5 and Fig. 5 is a plan, with the topof the carriage removed, and showing some of the parts in section.

a is the body or frame of the carriage, which is provided with wheels b,preferably anged, and provided with india-rubber rings or tires, asshown, in order to cause' the carriage to run smoothly, withoutcommunicating any concussion to the article thereon. c is the top of thecarriage, which is movable in a vertical direction in guides al fixed ateach corner of the carriage-frame, the movable top c being provided withdescending legs or guides c', to work in connection with the guides al.Under the frame a of the carriage is rigidly fixed a cross-bar orgirder, a2, which carries the weight of the top c, such top beingconnected thereto by the toggle levers or links d d1. The lever or linkd is pin-jointed to the girder a2, and the link or lever d1 to the topc, as shown, while such links or levers d d1 are also pin-jointed at d2d2 to one end of a rod or shaft, e, the other end of which is formedwith a screw to work in and be operated by a nut, f', formed in the bossof the hand-wheel f, which is prolonged for that purpose, as shown. Thisnut f is formed to work with some amount of play in the bearing a3, topermit free action to all the parts. Thus, by simply turning thehand-wheel in the one or the other direction the top c is readily raisedor lowered through the action of the toggle links or levers d d1.

The mode in which carriages constructed acaccording to my presentinvention are used is as follows: The carriage is placed in position on,or run onto, the table H, described in the specification of LettersPatent hereinbefore referred to, either with the movable top c thereof`in a raised, lowered, or intermediate position. On the movable top c ofthe carriage is placed aloose board or receiver, which overhangs orprojects beyond the sides or frame a of the carriage. The aforesaidtable H is then moved up to the die used in the formation of the retortor other similar heavy article. When the retort or other article ismade, the carriage is run off to the place where it is desired to placeit. Loose blocks or packings, or other supports, are then insertedunderneath two or three of the overhanging sides of the loose board orreceiver, or the carriage may be run into position between suitablesupports. The movable top c of the carriage is then lowered, when thepackings or supports take the weight of the retort or other article,at'ter which the top c is still further lowered, when the carriage isdrawn out, leaving the retort in the desired position. If the movabletop c of the carriage is in its normal or lowest position when theretort is made, then, when taken to its place in the shed, the movabletop of the carriage must be first raised, in order to enable the looseboard to be placed in position on the movable blocks or packings, orother supports, after which the nmvable top 0 is lowered, leaving fromits center by 'the toggle-levers d', actuated the retort or otherarticle in its desired. pos'iby the serew-shaftj, all ,sgbstantiallyasset tion. forth.w

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- Y WM. D.OLIFF.

The combination, in carriages for receiving Witnesses:

and transporting heavy articles, of the vertiv J. RAWSTRONE,

cally-moving top c, working in guides running v 'W0rtly, Leeds.

in grooves 'in the frame, said top being sup- JNO. H. THORNTON,

ported by the girder a2, and raised or lowered Wortley, Leed's.

